"The language used in the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used," he said, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, designed to protect children brought to the US illegally.

Senator Dick Durbin, the only Democrat in the room, disputed the President's account.

"He said these hate-filled things and he said them repeatedly," Senator Durbin said.

"When the question was asked about Haitians ... he said, 'Haitians? Do we need more Haitians?'"

Haiti's ambassador to Washington called on Mr Trump to apologise to the Haitian people.

In a statement, the Haitian Government called Mr Trump's comments "racist" and said "these insulting and reprehensible statements in no way reflect the virtues of wisdom, restraint and discernment that must be cultivated by any high political authority".

After reports of Mr Trump's comments were made public, the United Nations human rights office rejected the alleged remarks as "racist".

"There is no other word one can use but 'racist'," UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a Geneva news briefing when asked about the comments.

"You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as 'shitholes', whose entire populations, who are not white, are therefore not welcome."

"This isn't just a story about vulgar language, it's about opening the door to humanity's worst side," he said.

Others condemned the US President's comments as inappropriate or racist.

The reference to Norway may have been prompted by Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who visited the White House on Wednesday when the President praised Norway for running a trade deficit with the United States and for buying US military equipment.

Ms Solberg, whose office declined to comment on Mr Trump's remarks, is expected to announce soon an expansion of her cabinet to include Norway's Liberal Party, a centrist group that favours strong environmental policies and more immigration.

"The first point of order in the new government declaration: Norway will still not be a shithole country," tweeted Kjetil Alstadheim, the political editor of financial daily Dagens Naeringsliv.